Wooden Phone Case

Introduction: Wooden Phone Case

This Instructable was made to be an entry for multiple contests on this site. If you like this project, please drop by and vote. Thank you.

Have you ever wanted to create a custom iPod/iPhone case? I came across a video showing how to make an iPad mini case meant for use as a cash register (by I Like To Make Stuff) and thought of making a more mobile version for a smaller device.

Step 1: Video

Step 2: Make Reference Drawing

For this project, I modeled the case after the iPod touch 4th gen. I grabbed some basic tools and made a detailed drawing of the iPod and what I wanted the case to look like (it turned out a little different). I used this drawing during the project to get measurements and what-not. You could also design this in CAD, if you are good at that.

Step 3: Cutting Wood

I used pine for this case, because it was what I had on hand, but a hardwood would be much better. I used my chop saw to cut some really small slices off of a large chunk. Then I traced the thickness for the walls using the iPod, and cut out the strips.

Step 4: Gluing

Once all the pieces were cut, I used four spring clamps and let it dry for a couple hours. I ended up leaving my iPod in the middle while gluing, just so that the fit was sure to be perfect.

Step 5: Cutting

Once the glue was dry, I took out the iPod, and used my band saw to trim the edges flush with each other. Then I used my picture that I drew earlier to mark out where to cut on another piece of thin pine, but before I cut it out, I drilled the hole for the front facing camera.

Step 6: Faceplate

To finish the face plate, I used the band saw to cut out the inner rectangle, which left a small line at the bottom that I later glued together again. I used a thin blade to get the tight corners and curves inside. Then I used a pencil to mark where to drill holes for the four small screws. Be careful when drilling wood this small as it cracks easily.

Step 7: Assembling

Once the face plate was finished, I used some small screws to hold all the layers together. Then I drew faint curves on the corners and cut them out on the band saw. After that was done, I sanded everything with an orbital sander to round and smooth the corners and edges.

Step 8: Finishing

To seal the case, I used a wood stain to darken the wood and then multiple coats of polyurethane varnish with a light sanding in-between coats. This way the wood is protected from moisture from your hands as well as stains. Once it was all dry, I put my iPod inside and screwed it together. Finished! This project only took a couple of hours (not counting drying time). I used lots of power tools in the building of this, but if you needed to, you could get by with only a drill and some various saws.

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12 Comments

hi, first of all, you've made a really really good job, i'll give you a little advice (idk if you did it on porpouse) but in the holes that you make to put the screws in you can use a drill a bit bigger than the size of the head of the screw (not all the way ofcourse) in order to make the head fit in that space, this leaves you with a smooth surface and a really stilysh finish, greets from Argentina, sorry for my bad english